23 June 2012

FOODIE WEEKEND - Mama's Succulent Lasagna - Step by step picture recipe

Hi, everyone!  How's the weekend so far? Hope you all are having some nice time with family and friends.

Last 1st of June, Captain celebrated his 44th birthday and when I asked him what was it that he  wish for his birthday, he just said "One of those awesome lasagnas of yours!" Aww.. wasn't he sweet?  Well, I don't normally like to blow my own trumpet but lasagna is one thing I can cook well!  Well, they might not look super elegant but they surely taste good :)


If you asked me what is the secret to a good lasagna, I would say it is the 'ragu' or the meat sauce filling.  If you are interested you can get my version of recipe here. Another secret is in the bechamel sauce or cheese sauce used to ensure the moist texture and creamy taste of the lasagna.  Of course being generous with your ingredients helps too.

In this post I will lead you step by step in preparing this lasagna beginning with the bechamel sauce!


Bechamel Sauce

Ingredients
80 grams of butter
1 1/2 tablespoon of flour
3 cups of milk
1 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese
1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
1 piece of bay leaf
Salt, pepper to taste
Method
In a sauce pan melt the butter
Add the flour and stir for 1 -2 minutes until the flour is fully incorporated
Take the pan off the heat and gradually add in the milk, stirring constantly until smooth
Return the pan to the heat add the bay leaf and cook over medium heat 
until boiling and thicken. 
Be sure to stir frequently.
Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for a while.
Finally add in the cheeses, salt, pepper and cook until smooth.
Set aside.

Once you have your ragu and bechamel sauce ready, you are set to start the layering process.  Here I use the fresh lasagna sheets I bought when I was in Venice recently.  Fresh sheets make  softer lasagna but you can always use the instant or semi instant sheets that you can get from the local supermarket. Lets start, shall we?!

You will need :
Lasagna sheets
Ragu
Bechamel sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Shredded parmesan cheese

1)  Line a well greased lasagna dish with a few sheets of lasagna 

 2)  Cover the sheets with a layer of ragu. 

3)  Spread some bechamel sauce on top of the ragu

 4)  Sprinkle generous portion of shredded mozzarella cheese

5)  Cover with another layer of lasagna sheet.  Repeat the process twice more.

 6)  After the last layer of lasagna sheet been placed, spread some bechamel sauce on top

 7)  Sprinkle some shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  Cover with aluminium foil and
make some tiny holes using the fork

 8)  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.


My children and Captain love the top part a bit brown with the parmesan and mozzarella cheese crusty.  To achive this I use the top griller in the oven only for the final 3 minutes of cooking.  Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving and Buon appetito!  Enjoy!

20 comments:

  1. Thank you very much. You've just made me feel hungry at 11.15 in the evening, heheh!

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    1. Sorry la bro.. di Dubai malam2 buta ni mana lak nak cari makan kan? Maggi je la ;D

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    2. Tu lah pasal, heheh! Btw, a belated Habby Burstday to the Captain.

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  2. Great Post! I love lasagna!
    http://starvogue84.blogspot.com

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  3. I'm going to try your version of lasagna next week. I've just bought all the ingredients for the nasi lemak. Hubby is elated when I told him that we'll be eating nasi lemak tomorrow!

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    Replies
    1. That's great! Children were asking for nasi lemak again but c'mon already.. again?! Need a break from it at least a week LOL!

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  4. Looks so amazing!! I should attempt to make this for my husband- he would love me for life!
    :)
    Allison
    afashionfiles.blogspot.com

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  5. looks so gooood! I am a sucker for lasagna :)

    xxx
    www.ladyalamode.com

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  6. Mrs. C This looks amazing and the fresh lasagna sheets make it even better! I'm proud of you. I think everyone should have their own specialty dish. Yum!

    xo Jo

    http://whiterosesandcoffee.blogspot.ca/

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jo! You are so sweet. I am not a super domestic person, but I like trying ;)

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  7. Oh Mrs C that lasagne looks sooooooo yummy...!! I've just got up and now I need breakfast asap, I'm going to start thinking about what I want to have for dinner tonight ;)) Thanks for the recipe!

    Catherine x
    http://notdressedaslamb.com/

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  8. oh my god I didn't even have breakfast yet but I could eat this right now. Looks good! Thanks for sharing xo

    Angie
    sundaybelle.com

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  9. This looks so good! I am going to have to try your recipe for sure! Thanks for posting it!

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  10. This looks sooo delectable Mrs. C!

    Rebecca
    www.redtagchiclosangeles.com

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  11. My mum had those plates, this post makes me feel so at home!

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  12. Oh my god! I've never made it like this! Always lots of red sauce but this is exactly what I will try next time. Thank you!!

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  13. this just looks so good..sure it tastes as good hahaa...
    xx

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  14. As usual, it looks so delicious!!!

    kisses from:
    self-dressed.blogspot.com

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  15. Mhhh,These look really nice!!

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